The Matters of the Mind
by Drawn in
Summary: The human mind is often volatile, it's the true measure of a person's capabilities and capacity. When an individual is influenced by certain emotions, their mind can create a sundry of illusions that can be detrimental. In this case, the frailty of Evelyn's mind is preyed upon while she lives to think of all the plausible answer as she lives in a well fabricated web of deception.


Evelyn slumped back in the driver seat as she parked her car in her garage and with a deft motion of her nimble fingers she pulled out the keys from the ignition. It's been thirty-eight hours since she has last taken a break. Her eyes were not only dry but it began to produce a red hue on her sclera. She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the sleep, remembering the lack of food the her body ached for. She has been at hospital working on call for the past thirty-six hours, and had only eaten a light snack in between errands which consisted of a granola bar or a bottle of water. Her body yearned for a hot and decent meal that would suffuse her hunger. This hasn't been her first time working for thirty-six with very little food and no sleep, and she has gone longer in the past, it was always an arduous task, however she took great pleasure in doing her job. She couldn't decide wether it was her love for science that pushed her to seek a medical career or the need to work and help people. To her, being an orthopedic surgeon was both rewarding and exciting as she usually got to work in a sundry of surgeries.

It wasn't long until Evelyn decided to step out of the car and into her house. She pressed a small switch near the door and entered a four-digit code on the plastic and metal box, that would open the door that lead to her house from the garage and close the garage doors. She dropped her keys on the small glass bowl sitting on top a mahogany end table and hung her coat on the coat rack, while kicking of her shoes. She trotted towards the kitchen grabbing all the necessary ingredients to make a quick but a substantial breakfast. As the bacon were left to cook on the stove, she walked towards the living room to turn on the television, she switched from the channel that she had been on before to the news channel. Her ears barely picked up the sounds coming from the TV as she was still in a slight daze.

After thirty minutes, she had finished cooking her breakfast, she smiled in satisfaction while rubbing her stomach. Then a soft moan escaped her mouth when the sound of her doorbell resonated through her house. She shut the drawers that held the utensils and trudged to the door and opened it slowly.

"Dad," she breathed out, straitening her posture.

The man who stood only a mere step away from Evelyn loomed over her petite figure, with a yellow folder tucked neatly in his arms. A small smile graced his lips, creasing the sides of his mouth.

"Good morning," he greeted.

Evelyn stared at him clearly perturbed, she had no knowledge at all of her father's unexpected visit nor his need to visit. She thought back into the past trying to recall a phone she had received from her father about a visit but remembered none. Evelyn's father, William, stood staring at his daughter. As the seconds passed by so did his pleasant smile. He looked over her shoulder then back down at the petite woman. "Do you mind if I come in?" he questioned, rousing suspicion from Evelyn. She stroked the golden knob and pressed her teeth together, assessing the situation. With a blink and an exhale, she nodded hear head. "No, please come in," she murmured, stepping aside to let her father through. Evelyn close the door behind her and lead her father towards the living room. "Make yourself comfortable," she motioned for the two burgundy coloured love seat, faced towards the television.

William took his seat and neatly placed the folder on his lap. Evelyn ran her fingers through her hair and tilted her head to the side. "Would you like anything to drink or eat?" she asked, trying to ease her breathing. William looked up at her with a warm smile, "Coffee, if you don't mind. Preferable with two scoops of sugar and a bit of milk," he replied. Evelyn bit the side of her lower lip and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't drink coffee so I don't have any," Evelyn drawled off, the tension in the room thickening. William nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Anything will do," he stated. Evelyn nodded and walked back to the kitchen. She grabbed a two glassed and poured orange juice in it, she sighed and rubbed her soar eyes then walked past her breakfast.

Evelyn handed the glass to her father who nod and murmured his gratitude. William began his long line of pleasantries, asking Evelyn, similar to: 'How have you been?' and 'How is your job?' Evelyn answered all of his questions in a brusque manner, her patience slowly wearing thin. After a few questions, William took note of his daughters mood and current well-being. He noticed the bags under eyes and the redness within her eyes. He wasn't sure wether she was sick or she was lacking sleep. He chose not to speak out, thinking he might bring up a tough subject that she refuses to speak of. William took a sip of his orange juice then placed it on the glass table with a coaster separating the two.

"I am not so sure, wether this is a good time for you but I've brought something for you to look at," William stated, bringing the yellow folder up from his lap and towards his daughter. Evelyn's eyes slightly narrowed, she wasn't exactly sure what her father brought her but she thought nothing of it as it was only a thin folder. She removed it from his grasp and stared at it, pondering the thought of opening it. William noticed his daughters' apprehension tried to ease it. "It's a data I've collected from my research I was wondering if you can tell me something about it. I've already had a few theories of my own about I but I'd figure two heads is better than one," William stated. Evelyn immediately looked up and nearly dropped the folder. It's been close to twenty years since she has had any contact with her father and now that they've met he decided to ask her for help, especially on his own research. Evelyn knew her father was a hematologists and worked as a researcher for Umbrella but that was the extent of her knowledge.

She sat across from her father, tilting her head to the side. William sighed and motioned to the folder. "It's just data from a sample we had and I just wanted your opinion on it," he said. Evelyn shook her head and fidgeted in her seat. "You come to my house then, ask for my help," she uttered, doubt lacing her words. "What makes you think, I could give you a plausible answer."

William released a deep breath of hair, "I'm not looking for an answer I just want your thoughts on the matter" he responded, hoping Evelyn would look at the data. Evelyn sighed and stared at the man and shook her head, she begrudgingly opened the folder and skimmed through the data. Her eyes narrowed in confusion as her eyes fervently scanned through the pages. William took noted of how her eyebrows furrowed then her eyes narrowed giving him the impressions that she was addled. With a scoff Evelyn broke her gaze from the data and stared at her father. "You have got to be joking," she said, the corner of her mouth stretch into a light smirk. "In case your're not aware, which I'm sure you're not, I am an orthopedic surgeon. I deal with muscle and skeletal problems and that's as far as my knowledge goes," she stated, in mock amusement.

Evelyn pushed her hair behind her ears and stared at the photo then skimmed over the rest of the data. "It says here you exposed the host into numerous types of viruses, at a certain period of time, as each minute passed there were no signs of the virus attaching itself on a host cell, "Evelyn sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I can't tell you anything regarding this, I don't exactly know what's going on here," she breathed out, staring at her father. William sighed and leaned closer to his daughter and said, "Keep looking." Evelyn narrowed her eyes but turned to look at the folder. She looked over the other data trying to come with answers the would suffice. She wasn't certain wether she was looking for the answer to feed her own curiosity or her fathers'.

William was inscrutable as he stared at his daughter, he knew her far too well that she thought he did. He was fully aware of her knowledge beyond the human skeletal and muscle systems. "The third paper is a picture of cells under a microscope, surrounding it is a certain virus now I want you tell me what you see," he stated, his voice firm. Evelyn stared at him then pulled out the third page. She looked at the image, William watched as her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "The red blood cells are refraining from accepting the virus," William stated, leaning back on his seat.

Evelyn shook her head, "The host probably developed an immunity to it," she murmured, doubt clouding her judgement. "Besides viruses can go undetected under a light microscope, this can't be a virus," she finished, in a timorous voice. "Probably, but take into consideration that there are no traces of white blood cells nor have there been a data that closely resembles the entities that surround the cells," William stated. "Usually when a foreign entity enters an organisms it's body responds to it and begins it's assault," William paused and motioned for the folder. Evelyn handed him the folder and he took out a few more photos.

He held the first picture out, "This photo shows you red blood cells from a second organism but with the virus entering it," he pointed at the image, "this one shows the virus entering the cell and then coming out, however, the red blood cell is completely damaged. There are no presence of white blood cells at all and this is after the ten minute mark." He tucked the photo away and moved on to two more new photos. "This first photo shows damaged cells from a third organism, it's a malformed red blood cells. Their shaped in a crescent or sickle like, not like the normal circular shape of a regular red blood cell." He held up another photo, "This is after it was introduced to the virus."

Evelyn gaped in bewilderment, this was a first she had seen of such a thing. The red blood cells were completely repaired, she unsure of data, she didn't know wether to label as a hoax or as a surreal, that faced the truth of reality. "It could have been a coincidence, some organisms are capable of withstanding different things, not all are the same," she stated firmly. "Is that what you think?" William asked. "It's what I know," Evelyn stated, malice lacing her words. It has not been her first to be subjected by her father's scrutinizing gaze or words. She was well equipped to deal with it as she had lived with it for most of her childhood. Evelyn held back the urge to scream at her father to leave and storm out the room. She knew there relationship was already on edge but she didn't think her father knew that or else he might have refrained himself from his relentless verbal assails.

William was not like any father, all her life Evelyn and her family had always known him as the pale and austere man he always was, with a rigidly puritanical outlook. His dark auburn eyes were stern; continuously judging. Evelyn always saw him as petulant and temperamental. Yet, she couldn't help but admire him for his skills and knowledge.

"Now, what can you tell me about viruses?" William asked, holding back a smile as he unwittingly brought out the rancorous woman within her. Evelyn begrudgingly took the folder back and laid in on her lap. He took note of how she closed her eyes for a few seconds then released a deep breath of air.

Evelyn continued to read through the small amounts of data while preceding to answer her fathers question. "Viruses are everywhere, they wait and once they enter an organism, they move to find a host cell to infect. Regardless of the type of host cell, all viruses follow the same basic steps when it comes to infecting an organisms. A virus particle attaches itself to a host cell, then releases its genetic instructions into the hosts' cell. The injected genetic material utilizes the host cell's enzymes, and these enzymes make parts for more new virus new particles assemble the parts into new viruses, then break free from the host cell. All viruses have some type of protein on the outside envelope that can recognize the proper host cell, this protein attaches the virus to the membrane of the host cell. There have been some viruses that can dissolve right through the cell membrane of the host because the virus envelope along with the cell membrane are both made of lipids. Then again, there are some viruses that don't need to enter a cell. They usually inject their contents such as the genetic instructions or enzymes, into the host cell. Those viruses that dissolve into a cell simply release their contents once inside the host. In either case, the results are all the same." Evelyn stated, refraining herself from looking up the folder into her fathers' piercing blue eyes.

William held back the grin that was threatening to come, he knew what his daughter was capable of and he knew that her knowledge was beyond viruses. He always hoped his children would follow his footsteps in becoming a scientist however, each and everyone of them chose a profession that involved science or mathematics but did not pursue a career into the research field. William was proud of his daughter choice in becoming a surgeon but he knew she was fit to do more than what she is now. Even as a young child William saw the potential in his children as they all held the same love that he had for science and math. Evelyn and her brother consistently performed well in school and had both graduated high school early, all heading towards one of the most prestigious universities and became the top students in their respective fields.

Regardless of the fact the William was never there for most of their life, he took it upon himself to sought out their progress. Evelyn and her brother may not be aware of this but William always kept tabs on the two. William knew that Evelyns' brother, Lucas, moved on to become a neurosurgeon and stayed with their mother and William's late spouse in Washington. William knew that coming to his daughter was the right choice, as she was as curious as her him along with her brother. She would stop at nothing to find the most plausible answers.

"Twenty-eight pairs of chromosomes," Evelyn murmured, pulling William from his thoughts.

William stared at his daughter who returned his look with a grin. "The host is a primate, the only known organism with more than twenty-six pairs of chromosomes are primates. The primates involve mammals in an order that includes apes, lemurs, and many more. Most primates are not susceptible to viruses, their carries but they are usually not affected by it," Evelyn trailed off starring at her father. William couldn't miss the spark of interest in her eyes. A soft sough emerged from his nose as he exhaled deeply, murmuring softly.

"_Homo Erectus_. The virus was found in a fossilized skeletal of a certain species that lived 1.8 million years ago."

Fictitious images of gears turning were present in Evelyn's thoughts as her dark brown eyes impassively stared at her father. "Humans?" she questioned, her eyes trailer towards the window as the soft glow from the sun began seeping through the glass panes of the windows then through the curtains. Her mind began conjuring up different theories and excuses. Hope was evident in the back of her mind, hope that her father would just drop the subject. A nauseous feeling began building up in her stomach, and it seemingly travelled up her throat. "What?" she breathed out.

William pressed his lips together and lightly tugged at his pant suit. "The skeletal remains of the species known as _Homo erectus_ was extracted from a dig site in Africa owned by Umbrella, it was sent to our lab to be reviewed and this came up," he paused and pointed at the folder. "We discovered the virus in perfect condition living off the skeletal system. We can't exactly determine how long it's been there but a small amount was present. We placed each bones under the microscope, and in some, we saw the same exact image of the virus the is in the image of the red blood cells with a foreign entity, you have there. We don't know how it got there or why it stayed there. A week ago our last sample degraded with the initial study, Umbrella reopened the dig site and tried to look for more however, all we found were partial parts of skeletal body and those that contained the virus was not enough. "What we managed to obtain is what you see there," he stated with rancor.

Evelyn rubbed her eyes, her body was yearning for sleep. She did not know where this maddening conversation was heading too nor did she care anymore. Frankly, her mind was begging her to leave her father without another word and just head to her bedroom. Evelyn sighed and leaned back in her seat completely, ignoring all manners that she had learned from her father when she was a child. "What exactly are you getting at?" she asked, her eyelids fluttering slightly. William looked past her posture and the enervated slightness of her frail form. "I believe that it can be synthesized into a cure, one that could do remarkable things beyond any other pharmaceutical drug out there," He answered.

A snort escaped Evelyn, "You can get as many of these things as you want but you can't get it past human trials," she paused and exchanged a glance with her father. He sat attentively in his seat, causing Evelyn to smile. "Your data shows three different organisms. Two rejected the virus with one being affected by it and the third being repaired by it. You need to find out what sets these organisms apart, you need to understand why the virus helped one but refused the others. Another matter, you said you only found a few of these in a fully intact skeletal body of a _Homo erectus_ and you can't find another skeletal remains that will provided a sufficient amount. If you can't find it in a different source there is no other way to produce it or continue to research and synthesize a cure that would be deemed as innocuous," Evelyn finished, fingering the yellow folder on her lap.

William held back a smile, "A virus is an organic compound. There are three theories on how an organic compound came to earth. Theory one, Extraterrestrial origins such as comets. Theory 2, Volcanoes and deep-sea hydrothermal vents that spew out chemicals. Lastly, Theory 3, Chemical reactions in the atmosphere, in the water or on the surface of the earth," he stated. Evelyn narrowed her eyes, "What exactly are you getting at?" she murmured. William smirked, "I want your help," he stated, confidence lacing his words. Evelyn's eyes widened in surprise.

She sat gaping at him in wonder. Her nimble fingers touch her lips, as she grinned underneath. "Why?" she asked, still bewildered. "I know the courses you took in university and I already talked with the heads of Umbrella, they said you are allowed to work under my supervisions and if you show a development in my research they are more than willing to offer you a permanent job as a researcher in Umbrella," William answered.

She looked over him with a labored smile, her beaming brown eyes scanning his face. Evelyn, at that moment, couldn't help but stare at him in awe. Disregarding, their tension filled relationship, Evelyn was enthralled by his proposal. She tilted her head to the side and breathed through her nose shaking her head. The sun had sipped through the window, lighting the room with hues of yellow, pink, and orange. She thought about his proposal, unable to comprehend the importance of her decision. Her eyes trailed off to the folder. She used her pointer finger to move the papers around, while skimming over the data within. A barely audible voice rang through the air, "You're unbelievable." The words only heard by one, and remained to be heard by only one.


End file.
